In an effort to assess a subject's vestibular system, it is often useful to obtain a vestibulogram showing vestibular threshold as a function of motion frequency.
Acquisition of data to create a vestibulogram can be time consuming. The subject typically sits on a motion platform and presses buttons to signal his perception of motion. Since only motion perception that results from the vestibular system is of interest, all other motion cues must be suppressed. Thus, the subject sits in the dark to avoid visual cues, wears headphones playing white noise to avoid audio cues arising from the sound of the machinery, and gloves to avoid tactile cues arising from moving air.
Because data is collected across numerous motion frequencies and amplitudes, the subject endures this experience of almost complete sensory isolation for several hours. During this period, the subject must provide enough sustained attention, so that he can correctly indicate his perception for each motion. He cannot pass the time by dozing or daydreaming. Such lapses of attention would impair data acquisition.
From a subject's point of view, the clinical experience of testing one's vestibular function is far more grueling than that of listening to sounds for half an hour to obtain an audiogram, or reading an eye chart to assess one's visual acuity. From a clinician's point of view, the time taken to carry out the test reduces the number of tests that can be given in a year. As a result, many people suffering from vestibular dysfunction must wait months to even be tested.